Youth Leadership Training Camp in

Ramgarh, Uttaranchal Pradesh

 

National Youth Project and Arvindo Ashram will organize the Youth Leadership training Camp from16 to 23 September 2007 at Ramgarh, Uttaranchal Pradesh. The training camp will cover the all the aspect became the youth leader.

 

The training is open for youth age 18 to 35 year. There is no fee for training but committed young people from youth organizations will give the priority.

 

There is some travel grant/railway concession also available for selected youth.

 

Interested youth contact with full detail about him/her self to ICYO secretariat at email icyoindia@...

-----------------------

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)
194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave
New Delhi 110029, India.
Phone 91 9811729093 / 91 11 26183978
Fax 91 11 26198423
Email: icyo@... / icyoindia@...

 

Dear ICYO Members and other Readers,

Greetings,

The India Monitoring Report on status of action against commercial sexual exploitation of children (which is part of Global Monitoring Report) was released in Delhi on 30 July 2007. We are glad to provide you the summary of the Report.

If you interested to receive full report (pdf format) please do write to us.

 

Thanks

Ravi Narayan

Secretary General

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations

Email: icyoindia@...

 

LtoR: Ms Indrani Singh, Sanlaap, Kolkatta; Mrs Carmen Madriñán, Executive Director, ECPAT International, Bangkok; Mrs. Vidya, Equations, Banglore; Ravi Narayan, Secretary  General, Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) in launching function.

 

Summary

By

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)

194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave, New Delhi 110029, India.

Phone 9811729093 / 26183978  Email:  icyoindia@...

 

 

Summary

India

 

ECPAT India report is in the context making review of ten years have passed since the First World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) was held in 1996 in Stockholm, Sweden. The report reminds that the Stockholm Congress was a landmark event, providing testimony that convinced the world that sexual violations against children exist in all nations, irrespective of cultural differences or geographic location. It marked the first public recognition by governments of the existence of CSEC and resulted in a commitment to a global Declaration and Agenda for Action, which was formally adopted by governments across the globe, including India as a guide to the specific measures that must be taken for counteraction.

 

The Agenda for Action against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children provides a detailed framework and categories of actions to be taken by governments in partnership with civil society organizations and other relevant actors for combating commercial sexual crimes against children. Broadly, these actions are focused on: 1) Coordination and Cooperation; 2) Prevention; 3) Protection; 4) Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reintegration; and 5) Child Participation.

 

Since 1996, many actors around the world have focused their efforts around this common Agenda for Action and more government and non-government entities have linked, to ensure positive change for children and to protect their right to live free from sexual exploitation. ECPAT, Indian Report says that the Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Women and Children was developed as a direct consequence of a July 1997 Supreme Court decision that mandated India to undertake such a plan.  

 

Objective of this report

 

This report aims to provide a baseline of information on actions taken and remaining gaps for addressing CSEC in each country, based on the framework of the Agenda for Action, to enable more systematic assessment of progress on implementation of this commitment.

 

It also seeks to contribute to other international mechanisms that exist to protect children’s rights; the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography so as to strengthen the implementation and action against commercial sexual exploitation of children at all levels.

 

Another important objective of these reports is to stimulate the exchange of experience and knowledge among countries and different actors to create a dialogue that can further work against CSEC. While much has been achieved over the last 10 years, many gaps still remain. The implementation of the Agenda for Action is urgently required, for as the reports clearly illustrate, there is a compelling need for global action to protect children from these inhuman violations.

 

Over the years the various alliances has made progress in improving protection for children from commercial sexual exploitation. However, the increasing sophistication of resources available to those who seek to exploit children have grown in equal measure. Responding to these challenges requires far more coordinated and targeted work to be undertaken to avoid retrogression.

 

Experience demonstrates that the level of responsibility and role that a government takes to set and uphold standards of protection, like the lead taken for protecting children’s rights, determines the nature, quantity and quality of what the country achieves for its children. Governments can and have accelerated progress for implementation of the Agenda for Action, often opening new and important channels for such work. Nevertheless, their actions have not been uniform and, as these country profiles attest, far more urgent work must be done to protect children from such heinous violations, as these are still perpetrated with impunity in many countries.

 

The India report features: (i) an overview of the main CSEC manifestations affecting the country; (ii) analysis of the country’s National Plan of Action (NPA) against CSEC and its implementation (or the absence of an NPA); (iii) overview and analysis of coordination and cooperation efforts during the period under review; (iv) overview and analysis of prevention efforts; (v) overview and analysis of protection efforts, which includes detailed information on national legislation related to CSEC (see www.ecpat.net for further details); and (vi) priority actions required.

 

Major Findings of the Report

 

The report highlights that there is lack of information in the areas of Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reintegration; and Child Participation. There is need for generating more data on it.

 

Currently the land and livelihood have emerged as a major concern world over. Quoting statistics it says, more than 40,000 tribal women and children (mostly from the States of Orissa and Bihar) were forced into economic and sexual exploitation due to their marginalisation and lack of access to resources. Thus landlessness are one of the main causes of high incidence of trafficking/migration.

 

The Central Advisory Committee on Child Prostitution monitors the overall NPA implementation, while State Advisory Committees have been constituted to do so at state level. However, State Advisory Committees do not yet function in all states.

 

Child protection still not prioritized, in the union budgetary allocation is mere 0.034% (2005-2006)

 

Unclear legal definitions limit the protection of children against child Pornography

 

India does not have extraterritorial legislation that can be used to prosecute Indian nationals who commit crimes related to the commercial sexual exploitation of children outside of India.

 

The Juvenile Justice Act provided for the establishment of a special Juvenile Police Unit authorized to deal with children, but these units have not been formed in most States. Every police station should have at least one specially-trained officer designated as the ‘juvenile or child welfare officer responsible for handling cases involving children in need of care and protection or in conflict with the law. While special police officers have been assigned, they have not received the necessary training or infrastructural support to properly deal with cases involving commercially sexually exploited children.

 

There appears to be a lack of awareness about commercial sexual exploitation within law enforcement agencies and how the laws can be applied to better protect children. Judges also handle massive caseloads with little or no support, such as assistance with researching laws and legal procedures, and often do not have the time or opportunity to learn about the latest developments on national and international laws and legal procedures that can be applied in cases involving sexual crimes against children. Furthermore, the investigating and prosecuting agencies lack good coordination to effectively bring perpetrators to justice.

 

Priority Actions Required

 

v      State Advisory Committees must be made functional in all States to allow for the effective implementation of India’s Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Women and Children. Action planning at state level should also be expedited. The budget allocated for NPA implementation at both levels must be increased.

 

v      The Children’s Commission should be immediately formed at national level (the related bill is currently pending). State counterparts should be institutionalised and their staff trained as soon as possible. Channels for child participation should be ensured in all such institutions/commissions.

 

v      A larger number of Child Welfare Committees need to be set up at district level, with properly trained staff who are equipped to deal with CSEC cases; their coordination with law enforcers as well as with the State and the Central Advisory Committees must be enhanced.

 

v      Religious and culturally-sanctioned prostitution of children, particularly among scheduled tribes and castes, must be systematically combated: the government’s Tribal Development Programme must foster partnerships with civil society organizations to continuously implement programmes that sensitise such communities, and rescue and support prostituted children - particularly in areas such as Bihar, MP, UP and Rajasthan.

 

v      More in-depth studies on the commercial sexual exploitation of boys are needed to support effective campaigns and interventions against this phenomenon. A national level network/forum on prostitution of boys should also be established as the foundation for adequate responses, exchange of information and programme intervention.

 

v      State action plans should include provisions to tackle boys’ prostitution, whenever enough information about the phenomenon is already available, such as in the states of Bihar, UP, MP, Rajasthan, Maharastra and Andhra Pradesh.

 

v      Care facilities and human resources should be made available to adequately support sexually exploited boys. These services must be based on minimum standards of care, which are yet to be developed. Moreover, greater access to viable alternative livelihood options must be made available to sexually exploited boys.

 

v      To prevent re-trafficking and further exploitation of CSEC victims, reintegration programmes such as the Kishori Shakti Yojna, initiated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, should be widely replicated in the most affected state districts, including UP, MP, Rajasthan, Bihar and Haryana.

 

v      Partnerships must be developed between the Panchayats (elected bodies responsible for administration at district level, usually in charge of local development issues), police and NGOs to improve collection of evidence, expediting cases and effecting successful prosecutions in CSEC cases. In addition, community-based organisations must work more closely with the police to provide legal assistance to victims and also to ensure that the police systematically lodges each FIR with the relevant details and actively pursues cases.

 

v      Efforts must be made to actively involve the Panchayats in monitoring the situation in their areas, including checking children who come into and leave villages. A system for record keeping must be created and more awareness raising programmes must be conducted at the Panchayat level The Gramsabhas (groups formed by NGOs and district authorities to identify traffickers and missing children) should be institutionalised in all key states.

 

v      An enhanced system for the rescue and repatriation of children trafficked from Bangladesh to India must be urgently established, possibly based on the model proposed in a recent UNICEF study.

 

v      India must ratify the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (Trafficking Protocol) and ILO Convention No. 182.

 

v      Indian law on prostitution must be amended to specifically address children, clearly define which activities and types of remuneration are prohibited, and criminalise all acts of obtaining, procuring or providing a child for prostitution, as required under the Optional Protocol. In addition, legal protection against sexual exploitation must be granted to boys. A ‘child’ should be defined as a person up to 18 years of age, as required by the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

 

v      The Penal Code provisions on child trafficking must include all the activities that constitute trafficking as per the Trafficking Protocol. The law should be amended to also provide protection for Indian girls (not only foreign girls, as is currently the case) and boys (who have no legal protection). In addition, the legislation should be reviewed to criminalise trafficking in children for any purposes and not only for prostitution.

 

v      The proposed amendments to the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act should be enacted into law as soon as possible.

 

v      India’s laws on child pornography must be amended to clearly define and prohibit child pornography according to the standards set forth in the Optional Protocol, which India has ratified. The scope of the laws must extend beyond visual representations and cover audio materials and simulated images. Further, boys must be granted legal protection against child pornography.

 

v      The Information Technology Act must be amended to criminalise all acts of producing child pornography for the purpose of offering, making available, distributing, transmitting through a computer system; using computer systems and other information technologies to groom children; as well as possessing child pornography on a computer system. As one of the leading nations in the development of new technology, India can no longer ignore the abuse of children that information and communication technology (ICT) is facilitating.

 

v      In the states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, sex selective abortions are rampant, resulting in a dangerous sex ratio that causes many women and children from less affluent states to be trafficked to these regions for marriage. Thus, the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act 2000 should be enforced more stringently in such states to prevent female foeticide; moreover, the Prevention of Child Marriage Bill 2004, already tabled in the Parliament, should be passed with immediate effect.

 

v      Systematic training of police officers assigned to deal with crimes against children must be put in place so that they gain expertise on how to conduct their interventions to protect the best interests of the child: that is, collect evidence for effective prosecutions, work with vulnerable children, communicate with and support child victims of crime.

 

v      Efforts to increase birth and marriage registration nationwide must be prioritised, as these are valuable protective mechanisms against CSEC.

 

v      Capacity building of the police, government departments and local NGOs to address child pornography would be highly recommended, as there is a lack of such expertise in India and the problem is escalating.

 

ICYO

----------------

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth groups, clubs and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India. ICYO functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs
in India. It's family consists of over 356 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India. 

 

Affiliation:  Consultative (Roster) Status with ECOSOC, United Nations;
Consultative Status with Commission on Sustainable Development;
Full Member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY); Asian Youth Council (AYC);
Youth for Habitat International Network (YFHIN); CRIN, South Asia Youth
Environment Network (SAYEN),

Affiliate with ECPAT International, Thailand;

Member- Indian Network for Combating Trafficking (INCT); ATSECE-DELHI, Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign;
Steering Committee member of World Bank's YDP Network;
Working relation with Indian Association of Parliamentarians on Population & Development (IAPPD); International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations (IMPO); Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD); World Youth Foundation, Malaysia.

ICYO - Youth Information

(E-Newsletter from network of youth organizations in India)

                              No. 2007/ 47

========================================

ICYO - Platform of 356 Youth Organizations in India.    

ICYO - India’s largest network of urban and rural youth.

========================================

‘Parent nod must for minors’ check-up’

 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: As a reaction to the controversial medical check-up of students in Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhury has said that parental consent is mandatory while dealing with minors.

 

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), a child rights body under the ministry, had instituted an inquiry into the medical check-up and recommended that the school should issue a public apology and the students be compensated.

 

Chowdhury on Tuesday said: ‘‘Medical check-up of minor children cannot be done without the permission of their parents. There are laws in this regard. The guidelines are quite clear on this. Even their photographs cannot be published without their permission.’’

 

The NCPCR’s probe also recommended that strict action be taken against the doctors who conducted the tests. Chowdhury said: ‘‘The health ministry has to take action against them. We will just give suggestions,’’she said.

 

With the protection of children high on its priority, the government has prepared an action plan to implement the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS). Under the scheme, all states and districts will have child protection units with a budget of over Rs 2,000 crore.

 

The scheme is expected to be implemented in a phased manner with the pilot project in five states — Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Andhra Pradesh — costing Rs 90 crore.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Youth Information is published by

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO),

194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave,

 New Delhi 110029, India.

Phone: 91 9811729093  / 91 11 26183978 Fax 91 11 26198423

Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@... Web:  www.icyo.in

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth groups, clubs and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India.  ICYO functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs in India. It's family consists of over 356 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.

Affiliation: 

Consultative (Roster) Status with ECOSOC, United Nations;
Consultative Status with Commission on Sustainable Development;
Full Member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY); Asian Youth Council (AYC); Youth for Habitat International Network (YFHIN); CRIN, South Asia Youth; Environment Network (SAYEN); ATSECE-DELHI, Indian Network for Combating Trafficking; Affiliate with ECPAT International, 
Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign;
Steering Committee member of World Bank's YDP Network;
Working relation with Indian Association of Parliamentarians (IAPPD);
International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations (IMPO);
Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD);
World Youth Foundation, Malaysia

 

 

 

From: Digambar Narzary

NEDAN FOUNDATION

Kokrajhar, BTC, Assam

nedan_ne@...

 

ICYO - Youth Information

(E-Newsletter from network of youth organizations in India)

No. 2007/ 45

========================================

ICYO - Platform of 356 Youth Organizations in India.    

ICYO - India’s largest network of urban and rural youth.

========================================

Report Launching

 

India Monitoring Report of ECPAT International on

Status of ‘Action against CSEC’ to be release in New Delhi

 

The ECPAT International’s will launch the “India Monitoring Report on the Status of Action against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children” on 30^th July 2007 in New Delhi.

 

This year’s report, commemorates the 10th anniversary of the first World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation, by assessing the progress of implementation on action against commercial sexual exploitation of children in India and globally.

 

This report is India report is part of more than 50 country reports that make up the global monitoring reports, that provide information and analysis on specific country situations and an assessment of the efforts made and still needed, to protect children from sexual exploitation, in each country. The information gathered represents the inputs of a large number of grassroots organizations, and government and other agencies that work directly to counteract these grave violations against children.

 

The report is also included the recommendations for further strengthen the work to stop commercial sexual exploitation of children in India.

 

The organization working on issue of commercial sexual exploitation/abuse of children and human trafficking are welcome in this launching function on 20 July 2007.

 

For further detail contact:

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)

icyoindia@...

icyo@...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Youth Information is published by

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO), 194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave, New Delhi 110029, India. Phone: 91 9811729093  / 91 11 26183978 Fax 91 11 26198423 Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@... Web:  www.icyo.in

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth groups, clubs and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India.  ICYO functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs in India. It's family consists of over 356 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.

Affiliation: 

Consultative (Roster) Status with ECOSOC, United Nations;
Consultative Status with Commission on Sustainable Development;
Full Member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY); Asian Youth Council (AYC); Youth for Habitat International Network (YFHIN); CRIN, South Asia Youth; Environment Network (SAYEN); ATSECE-DELHI, Indian Network for Combating Trafficking; Affiliate with ECPAT International, 
Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign;
Steering Committee member of World Bank's YDP Network;
Working relation with Indian Association of Parliamentarians (IAPPD);
International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations (IMPO);
Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD);
World Youth Foundation, Malaysia

 

 ICYO

YOUTH INFORMATION

                           No: 2007/44 (July)

(E-Newsletter from network of youth organizations in India)

==================================================

ICYO - Platform of 356 Youth Organizations in India.       

ICYO - India’s largest network of urban and rural youth.

==================================================

First UNESCO Asian Youth Forum held in South Korea

Plan of Action Formulate with Commitment to Work for Promotion of Peace through intercultural Dialogue

 

The 1^st UNESCO Asian Youth Forum endorsed the ‘Jeju Island Resolution’ on last day of the Forum. The participants also chalk out the action plan on each sub-themes. The participants of the Forum have decided to work towards putting into practice the actions recommended in Jeju Island Resolution.

 

34 participants from 20 countries including the Ms Shivangi Patel of ICYO, India and 13 observers were attended Forum from June 25-29, 2007 held in Jeju Island of Republic of Korea (South Korea) and organized by Section for Youth, Sport and Physical Education, UNESCO alongwith Korean National Commission for UNESCO. The Forum theme was ‘Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue to Ensure Peace.

 

The five-day event is full of activities including the discussions on themes and sub-themes, group activities and outdoor activities.

 

Jeju Island Resolution

The following action plans of each sub-themes should be promoted and implemented to advocate, develop and elaborate capacity-building activities and other programmes aimed at reaching our main theme “Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue to Ensure Peace” at all levels.

 

Sub-Theme I. Intercultural and Interfaith Education to Ensure Peace

 

1.                 Advocate and develop capacity-building programmes among policy-makers, researchers, teachers and youth for intercultural and interfaith dialogue to ensure peace.

2.                 Collaborate with partners, youth groups and networks to promote intercultural exchange programmes and activities.

3.                 Analyze the cultural diversity of each country to gain a better understanding of the situation and to promote intercultural and interfaith dialogue among its people.

4.                 Build partnerships with educational and training institutions to mobilize resources to fund fellowships, scholarships and grants for ΄cultural exposure΄ programmes.

5.                 Involve UNESCO field offices in the Asian region to educate and train young people in utilizing ICT tools and platforms so as to foster intercultural and interfaith dialogue.

6.                 Disseminate knowledge about intercultural and interfaith dialogue through various media channels.

7.                 Organize youth leadership training programmes on intercultural and interfaith discussion.

8.                 Incite exchange among academics, experts and leaders to encourage support for and commitment to the development of basic guidelines for intercultural and interfaith dialogue.

9.                 Introduce intercultural and interfaith dialogue as a theme of ΄World Peace Day.'

10.            Explore avenues for proposing to youth-related Ministries the incorporation of intercultural and interfaith studies in school curricula.

11.            Encourage all educational establishments to upgrade or expand information on cultural diversity in their cultural collections (i.e., books, CDs and DVDs).

12.            Advocate for the provision of additional amenities for students (i.e., internet facilities, etc.) to enable interaction with other international students.

13.            Encourage teachers to equip themselves with awareness, knowledge and skills on intercultural and interfaith issues.

14.            Propose to youth organizations that they cooperate with UNESCO National Commissions in organizing educational sessions with parents and teachers on the promotion of intercultural and interfaith dialogue.

15.            Suggest the establishment of literacy/training centres for young people so as to incorporate intercultural and interfaith studies and/or training into their school curricula.

16.            Create National Discovery Programmes that provide opportunities for participants to discover their country’s cultural diversity.

17.            Encourage existing youth exchange programmes to incorporate intercultural and interfaith issues.

18.            Organize sub-regional youth forums on intercultural and interfaith issues focusing on the actual needs of youth in a particular region.

19.            Organize socially-inclusive events that promote intercultural and interfaith dialogue in local communities and at educational institutions.

 

Sub-Theme II. Combating Discrimination and Promoting Cultural Diversity

 

1.                 Use official forms that exclude race, gender, religion and age categories.

2.                 Agree to guarantee equal opportunities.

3.                 Promote cultural diversity in celebration and observance of ΄Intercultural and Interfaith Day΄ through performances, public forums, immersion programmes, etc.

4.                 Gather youth leaders of diverse backgrounds to share, understand and agree upon commonalities, and to take up the role of peer educators.

5.                 Encourage and promote celebrations of cultural diversity (i.e., cultural performances).

6.                 Organize an awareness-raising campaign on cultural diversity among youth.

7.                 Promote and conduct various intercultural and interfaith youth exchange programmes such as festivals, exhibitions, studying competitions, etc.

8.                 Encourage youth leaders to work together toward accentuating diversity within their communities.

9.                 Ensure the freedom to practice one’s own religion among young people.

10.            Set up intercultural and interfaith study centres in each country.

11.            Promote indigenous cultures via the exchange of experiences at folk villages.

 

Sub-Theme III. The Media’s Role in the Promotion of

Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue and Peace

 

1.                 Develop programmes and activities to encourage a more socially responsible media with regard to intercultural and interfaith issues.

2.                 Work in partnership with the organisers of existing media awards to include an ΄Intercultural and Interfaith Award΄ category for those who display exemplary media social responsibility.

3.                 Encourage the media to promote events related to intercultural and interfaith issues.

4.                 Establish partnerships between youth organisations and the media in organising a ‘Youth & Media Week’ to promote intercultural and interfaith dialogue; the programme should include exhibitions, cultural performances, live interactive talk shows and workshops.

5.                 Conduct exchange programmes for young reporters that focus on the promotion of peace through responsible media coverage.

6.                 Establish a network linking university newsletters.

7.                 Promote peace by training young journalists in intercultural and interfaith sensitivity.

8.                 Maximise use of free electronic media to publicise the message of intercultural and interfaith dialogue.

9.                 Encourage young people to create interactive blogs and online forums, and involve diverse stakeholders to provide them with the necessary support.

10.            Organise campaigns to promote the dissemination of intercultural and interfaith information through the media.

11.            Encourage young people to deliver intercultural and interfaith messages via postcards (e.g., through pen-pal project initiatives).

12.            Cooperate with relevant organisations and networks (e.g., the UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet) and the AEC-NET of the Asia-Europe Foundation) on integrating media-relations into school curricula.

13.            Establish a UNESCO Asian Youth Forum alumni network by keeping the ‘listserv’ open so that participants can continue to interact, exchange ideas, and share effective practices.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Youth Information is published by

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)

194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave

New Delhi 110029, India

Phone: 91 9811729093  / 91 11 26183978 Fax 91 11 26198423

Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@...

Web:  www.icyo.in

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth groups, clubs and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India.  ICYO functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs in India. It's family consists of over 356 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.

Our goal:

v       To improve and extend the youth work and services through Youth Organizations;

v       To enhance and demonstrate youth work in the society;

v       To promote effective youth programmmes;

v       To organize network of civil society organizations working towards the development of youth work;

v       To organize seminars, conferences, workshops, trainings;

v       To maintain international relation with organizations promoting young people in their programmes and activities

Affiliation: 

Consultative (Roster) Status with ECOSOC, United Nations;
Consultative Status with Commission on Sustainable Development;
Full Member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY); Asian Youth Council (AYC); Youth for Habitat International Network (YFHIN); CRIN, South Asia Youth; Environment Network (SAYEN); ATSECE-DELHI, Indian Network for Combating Trafficking; Affiliate with ECPAT International, 
Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign;
Steering Committee member of World Bank's YDP Network;
Working relation with Indian Association of Parliamentarians (IAPPD);
International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations (IMPO);
Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD);
World Youth Foundation, Malaysia.  

In this issue of Youth Information:

- UN World Youth Report 2007.

- UN Secretary General Report on World Youth Programme.

- Youth Mobilization for Janadesh 2007 Preparation.

- Handbook by UNICEF to Help Lawmakers to Combat Violence Against Children.

- ‘Youth for New Nepal’ Conference Held.

- Indonesian Youth Forum Urged for Legislation on Tobacco Control

- Be seen, be heard: youth participation in development – theme for Int. Youth Day.

- Guide to Implementation of the WPAY

Upcoming events:                                                                                          

- Int. Camp in Korea: August 9-19, 2007

- Int. Eco-leadership Youth Camp in Korea: August 13-15, 2007

- Int. Training: Sexual & Reproductive Health and Rights for Young People

- Int. Conference on Youth and Democracy in South Asia –Pune, India August 12-15, 2007

- Youth Micro-enterprise Conference in Washington: September 10-11, 2007

- Commonwealth Human Rights Essay Competition 2007 for youth.

- Youth Bridging the Gap: Reaching Out to the Roma: IAPSS Int. Seminar from July 22-28, 2007

- Training: Make a Difference in Sustainable Agricultural Development

- World Toilet Summit 2007

 

United Nations World Youth Report 2007 to be release on Int. Youth Day

World Youth Report 2007 will examine the challenges and opportunities existing for the roughly 1.2 billion young people between the ages of 15 and 24 in the world.

 

The Report will provide a regional overview summarizing the major youth development trends in the fifteen priority areas of the World Programme of Action for Youth. The report will explore major issues of concern to youth development, including employment, education, health, poverty and violence. At the same time, it will highlight youth as positive forces for development and provide recommendations for supporting their essential contributions.

 

The report is schedule to launch on International Youth Day (12 August 2007) by United Nations.

 

UN Secretary General Report on World Youth Programme

The report of the Secretary-General of United Nations on the ‘Follow up to the World Programme of Action for Youth’ is now available.

 

The UN Secretary-General’s report addresses two areas: the progress achieved and the constraints that young people face in relation to their participation in the global economy; the progress achieved by the Secretary General’s Youth Employment Network and an update on the status of national action plans for youth employment, which was prepared by the Youth Employment Network (YEN) Secretariat.

 

The full report is available at

http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N06/611/73/PDF/N0661173.pdf?OpenElement

 

Janadesh 2007 Preparation: Youth Mobilization

Two Camps held in-route of Proposed Janadesh

The Janadesh 2007 is the mass movement of Adivasi and deprived people for their land rights and right to livelihood. Dr Ran Singh Parmar, National Convenor of Janadesh 2007 told ‘Youth Information’, twenty five thousand indigenous and deprived people will walk from Gwalior to Delhi from 2nd October 2007 to press for their demand. The support of youth is very important for organizer, he added that, the Janadesh getting the full support from young people and they are front-liner in providing the logistic support on route. 

 

To mobilize and trained the youth, two youth camps were organized on the proposed route.  One was held in Morena (Madhya Pradesh) from 22-24 February 2007 and second one was held Dhoulpur (Rajasthan) from 28-30 March 2007. All the participants of both the camps were briefly about the aims, objectives and trained to understand the decentralized management system for Janadesh.

 

Handbook by UNICEF to Help Lawmakers to Combat Violence Against Children

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) on May 2, 2007 launched a joint handbook for lawmakers to help them devise the necessary strategies, from introducing legislation to allocating public funds, to protect children from violence.

 

“Parliamentarians can and should be among the foremost champions of child protection,” said Toshi Niwa, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, during today’s launch in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian island of Bali, where the annual IPU Assembly is being held.

 

“They can legislate, oversee government activity, allocate financial resources and, as leaders within their nations, advocate for change.” he said.

 

‘Youth for New Nepal’ Conference Held

Youth Society for Peace (YSP) organized the one day Youth Conference on “Youth for New Nepal” at Shanti Sewa Ashram in Nepal on April 7, 2007.

 

The programme was inaugurated Dr. Chintamani Yogi by lighting a ‘peace lamp’ followed by peace prayer by the children of Seeds of Peace (SOP)

 

Mr. Binod Thapa (Youth Educationalist) spoke on "Envisioning New Nepal". He said that Education for knowledge, Education for power, Education for economy and Education for skill development is need of new Nepal.

 

In session "Sharing and Caring" Dr. Chintamani Yogi outlined five necessary qualities that the youths of new Nepal need, are Karmashil: active; Sirjansil: creative; Chhamashil: forgiving; Chintanshil: thoughtful and Sushil: gentle.

 

The conference also discussed the "Youth for New Nepal" and "Nepalese Culture in Modern Era".

 

Mrs Ambika K.C, a senior member of SSA said in her closing remark that the youth need to be hopeful and work steadily towards the better cause of society.

 

Indonesian Youth Forum Urged for Legislation on Tobacco Control

A youth seminar on tobacco control legislation with the theme, "Young Generation as Main Target of Tobacco Aggressive Marketing: Do They Need Protection?" was opened by the Speaker of the Parliament in Indonesia on March 28,2007 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

 

The Indonesian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (IFPPD) petitioned and asked MPs for protection in several matters such as: tobacco aggressive marketing, prohibition on purchase of cigarettes in single stick and to minors, increase of tobacco products' price and tax, and establishment of smoke-free areas.

 

The requests in the petition were covered in one draft bill on controlling the impact of tobacco products on health, which had been finalized by IFPPD in the end of 2005. The said draft bill was supported by 224 MPs and was submitted to the legislation, but had not yet been listed in the National Legislation Plan.

 

12 August 2007: International Youth Day 2007: 

Be seen, be heard: youth participation in development

The United Nations marked 12th August as International Youth Day. The theme for this year International Youth Day 2007 (IYD) is “Be seen, be heard: youth participation in development”.

 

This the time to start planning and to organize, celebrate and take action. The Day presents a great opportunity to create awareness of the importance of youth participation and inclusion in the societies in which they live. It is also a time to rally the support of Governments, non-Governmental organizations, academic institutions, businesses, and young people to focus on what must be done to further youth issues through the World Programme of Action for Youth. Use the media, hold public forums and discussions, organize youth rallies and street fairs to further encourage the participation of youth in the processes and decisions that affect their lives. For more information log on http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/iyouthday.htm

 

If planning any event in India, please send the detail to  icyoindia@...

 

Guide to Implementation of the WPAY

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) is prepared the guide, which focuses on what Governments can do to fulfill the vision in the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY).

 

It highlights the need for new momentum to be generated towards the design and implementation of youth policies and programmes.

 

Each section of the guide examines the concept of priority areas, of which one is employment. It looks at mechanisms and specific policies that may enhance the political, cultural and socio-economic opportunities for youth. The recommendations and ideas contained in the book are inspired by analyses, case studies, lessons learned and good practices documented by a wide range of sources.

 

Copy available at http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/documents/wpay_guide.pdf

 

Up-coming Events:

International Youth Camp in Korea

The 42^nd International Youth Camp will be held from August 9-19, 2007 at Korean UNESCO Peace Center in Icheon, South Korea. The camp will be organized by Korean National Commission for UNESCO and supported by Kia Motors.

 

The camp is for 90 international and 30 Korean youth of age between 18 to 27 years. The camp will focus on the ‘change’ that youth can bring in society. 

 

The Indian youth may get the further information from ICYO secretariat..

 

The 5th International Eco-leadership Youth Camp

"Stop! Global Warming by the Youth ”

The Consumers Korea and PAN AP will be organizing "The 5th International Eco-leadership Youth Camp" from 13– 15 August 2007 in Seoul, Korea. The titled of the camp is "Stop! Global Warming by the Youth” and theme will be the “Global Warming and roll of youth”.

 

The camp will focus on the issues arising from the seriousness of Global Warming, and identify the challenges and opportunities for the youth to support the shift towards sustainable consumption lifestyle.

 

Int. Training: Sexual & Reproductive Health and Rights for Young People

The Swedish Int. Development Cooperation Agency (CIDA) will organize the advance training Programme on Sexual & Reproductive Health and Rights for Young People and will take place in New Delhi.

 

The objective of the training is to promote a better regional understanding of young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights through experience sharing in the context of South and South East Asian countries; to enhance the capacities of individuals/institutions to work and network effectively, to address, act and advocate for young people’s SRH with a rights perspective.

The date of training is September 15-30, 2007 and application is closed.

 

International Conference on Youth and Democracy in South Asia

The Centre for Youth Development and Activities (CYDA) in association with others will be organized “International Conference on Youth & Democracy in South Asia” in Pune, India from August 12-15, 2007.

 

The objective of this programme is to bring together, young people, youth activists and academicians from different walks of life and deliberate on concerns and issues of democracy in the context of young people.

 

The Conference will aim at discussing on various dimensions that youth can and must play not only on issues that concern them but also in the formulations of policies that affect them.

 

Topics for the conference includes - Youth, Democracy and globalization; Educating youth on Democracies and Diversity; Role of young parliamentarian in democracies; Youth Participation in Civic Society; Youth Policies in South Asian countries; Promoting Youth participation in Decision-making; The future of Student politics in democracy; Role youth play and can play in shaping democracies; Case Studies involving youth in Democratic; Women’ Participation in South Asian countries; Youth Movement in sustaining Democracies.

 

For more detail contact: cyda@...

 

Youth Microenterprise Conference

The Youth Microenterprise Conference will be held September 10-11, 2007 in Washington, D.C and bring together international development practitioners, policy makers, members of the private sector, youth, and experienced professionals in the fields of education, global health, microenterprise creation, and youth entrepreneurship to explore and discuss: The Role of Youth Microenterprise in the 21st Century: Facing the Challenge of Youth Unemployment and Vulnerability;        Strategies to Address the Needs of Youth Entrepreneurs; How to Build Partnerships and Advance Youth Microenterprise to Support Social and Economic Development.

 

For more information log on www.ymeconference.org

 

Commonwealth Human Rights Essay Competition, 2007

The Human Rights Unit of the Commonwealth Secretariat organizes the Essay Competition for Young People and topic of the Competition is ‘Promoting Human Rights for Fostering Respect and Understanding in our Communities’.

 

There will be 4 best entrants adjudged from the four regions making up the Commonwealth: Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Europe and the Pacific. Each regional winner will receive £100 and a certificate, and the runners up Commonwealth certificates of recognition signed by the Commonwealth Secretary General.

 

To enter the Competition you must be between the ages of 12 – 16; submit full name, home address, email address, and proof of date of birth; submit one essay (not more than 1,000 words) on the topic described above and send the entry by email not later than 1 August 2007 to Jarvis Matiya at j.matiya@... . The Winners will be required to provide proof of their date of birth.

 

IAPSS International Seminar 2007

Youth Bridging the Gap: Reaching Out to the Roma.

The International Association for Political Science Students (IAPSS) will organize the seminar “Youth Bridging the Gap: Reaching Out to the Roma” from July 22-28, 2007 at Ljubljana in Solvenia.

 

This international seminar is dedicated to increase the level of acceptance of the Roma as a minority group and of the Roma culture among youth. Participants coming from both Roma and non- Roma cultures will have the opportunity to experience one week of real- life, face-to-face, constructive dialogue and become familiarize with the particularities and differences of each others’ cultures.

 

For more detail long on http://roma.iapss.org

 

Make a Difference in Sustainable Agricultural Development

The capacity enhancement training programme “Make a Difference in Sustainable Agricultural Development” (MAD in SAD) will be held in New Delhi on July 14-15, 2007 and organized by Responsenet. For more information contact E- mail: capacities@...

 

World Toilet Summit 2007

Date November 1-4, 2007

Place: New Delhi

Organizer: Sulabh International SIAES

Contact: sulabhacademy@... or log on:

http://worldtoiletsummit2007.org/whats_new.php

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Youth Information is published by

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)

194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave

New Delhi 110029, India

Phone: 91 9811729093  / 91 11 26183978 Fax 91 11 26198423

Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@...

Web:  www.icyo.in

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth groups, clubs and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India. 

ICYO functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs in India. It's family consists of
over 356 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.

Our goal:
To improve and extend the youth work and services through Youth Organizations;
To enhance and demonstrate youth work in the society;
To promote effective youth programmmes;
To organize network of civil society organizations working towards the development of youth work;
To organize seminars, conferences, workshops, trainings;
To maintain international relation with organizations promoting young people in their programmes and activities

Affiliation: 

Consultative (Roster) Status with ECOSOC, United Nations;
Consultative Status with Commission on Sustainable Development;
Full Member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY); Asian Youth Council (AYC);
Youth for Habitat International Network (YFHIN); CRIN, South Asia Youth
Environment Network (SAYEN), Affiliate group of ECPAT International, Thailand;
ATSECE-DELHI, Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign;
Steering Committee member of World Bank's YDP Network;
Working relation with Indian Association of Parliamentarians (IAPPD);
International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations (IMPO);
Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD);
World Youth Foundation, Malaysia

ICYO

YOUTH INFORMATION

                           No: 2007/42 (June)

(E-Newsletter from network of youth organizations in India)

==================================================

ICYO - Platform of 356 Youth Organizations in India.       

ICYO - India’s largest network of urban and rural youth.

==================================================

The State of the World Population Report 2007 is released on 27 June 2007.

The Report also has the Youth Supplement.

The Youth Supplement focuses on ‘investment in young people’.

--------------------------------------------------------

Young People in the Cities Today

 

The world is undergoing the largest wave of urban growth in its history. The 3 billion population of towns and cities in 2005 will increase by 1.8 billion by 2030.1 The urban population of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa will double in less than a generation. The fastest growth will be in the poorer urban areas. For example, the slum population of Dhaka has more than doubled in a decade, from 1.5 million in 1996 to 3.4 million in 2006.

 

Most urban growth comes from natural increase (more births than deaths). The urban poor have higher fertility rates than other urbanites: women have less education and less autonomy; they know little about sexual and reproductive health services, and have little access to them. Rural-urban migration also contributes to urban growth. Young people under 25 already make up half the urban population and young people from poor families will be a big part of the urban wave. The future of cities depends on what cities do now to help them, in particular to exercise their rights to education, health, employment, and civic participation.

 

Investment in young people is the key to ending generations of poverty. In particular it is the key to reaching the Millennium Development Goals and halving poverty by 2015.

 

Young People in the Cities Today

 

Most urban young people were born in the cities. Others arrive on packed buses or trains, bringing with them few possessions, great expectations, and an eagerness to engage fully in a better life. They come with the hope of a good education, adequate health services, and a society with plenty of jobs to choose from: a plan for escaping the poverty in which their parents are trapped.

 

Urban centres attract economic investments, and offer a high concentration of jobs and public services. Political power is concentrated in national, state or district capitals, and secondary schools, higher education institutions, and health care centres are better and more accessible in urban areas.

 

 The high disparity in the rates of school attendance among urban and rural youth illustrates the “urban advantage”: rural boys’ and girls’ school attendance rates are, respectively 26 and 38 per cent lower than their urban counterparts’.

 

 A vanishing dream?

 

At the beginning of the 21st century, the best recipe for a life without poverty is still to grow up urban; but young people’s dream of moving beyond their parents’ poverty is quickly vanishing.

 

Although cities offer better jobs, housing, education, health care, and opportunities are unevenly distributed. Most people in the poorest countries, including the young, have little access to the amenities of urban life.

Although school attendance is higher in cities than in rural areas, many young people in poor areas, especially girls, never start school, or drop out before finishing secondary level.

 

In urban centres, young people are faced with higher unemployment rates than adults; work is more likely to be in the unregulated “informal sector” where they are often exposed to abuse and exploitation.

 

Housing for the urban poor is most likely to be in slums – crowded homes and poorly-built neighbourhoods with little or no infrastructure like paved roads, electricity, gas, piped water or sanitation. In some cities this applies to more than half the population. In most African cities, for instance, only ten per cent of the population is connected to sewers, and many have no sewers at all. Many young women and men grow up resenting their exclusion from the promise of city life. Extreme poverty, family conflict, violence and neglect, alcoholism or drug abuse in the home, or the illness and death of parents, may drive young people to live on their own. In some countries a high proportion of urban adolescents do not live with their parents, for instance 30 per cent of Ethiopian girls aged 10 to 14.6 In Benin 14.3 per cent of a sample of children up to age 14 in urban areas lived with neither parent, though both were alive, compared with 8.9 per cent of rural children.

Some children live in the streets.

 

For young people brought up in poverty with low-quality education, health care and housing, and few prospects for steady work, things can go very wrong.

 

Young people are often the risk takers and experimenters: they are regularly reminded of their unequal state and lack of opportunities – luxury cars in the streets; smart houses in safe neighbourhoods; opulent lifestyles in the mass media and on the Internet. Exclusion and frustration can lead to crime and violence.

 

Many young women leave their villages to avoid marrying young or dropping out of school early. But slum life can be particularly dangerous for young women. Pervasive gender discrimination puts them at risk of sexual exploitation and violence. Poverty may force them to work long hours in unsafe and distant places, returning home alone on dark and dangerous streets.

 

Having no knowledge or power to protect themselves, and poor health services, they are at increased risk of  unwanted pregnancy, and childbirth without skilled care. Many teenage mothers have no support from their families or the fathers of their children. They may have to turn to transactional sex work to survive.

 

Positive signs

 

The creation of safe spaces for adolescent girls and young women can help turn urban life into a positive experience through which they may find autonomy, access to resources, and self-control.

 

By design, the city brings people closer. Youth urban culture adds music, dance, and sports shaped by global and local issues. Information and communication technologies such as the Internet and mobile phones have changed the way young people in cities relate to one another, and to their counterparts in other countries. They have introduced and spread globalized aspirations and patterns of consumption

 

The future of young people in the cities

 

The future of cities depends on the future of young people. In particular, it depends on what policymakers can do to equip young people to break the cycle of poverty. This in turn depends on involving young people in the decisions that affect them. This report draws attention to some challenges and possibilities, and suggests some actions that will help young people live up to their potential.

 

The wave of urban growth, and the consequent increase in the supply of labour, has the potential to stimulate economic growth – if local and municipal governments in developing countries can improve the quality of governance, and develop the institutional capacity to provide infrastructure and services. Services include universal access to education and health care, essential elements in the formation of human capital.

 

Governments must do four key things over the next 25 years to cope with change, reduce poverty, and create a stable environment for young people’s active participation in the urban transformation:

• Support young people to stay in school longer, so they are better educated and have access to technological innovations, information, and the life skills needed to enter changing labour markets.

• Support young people’s ability to exercise their right to health, including sexual and reproductive health, so they can stay healthy and free of sexually-transmitted diseases and HIV infection; avoid early pregnancy, postpone starting their families until they are ready, and have their children safely.

• Attract new investments to cities to create jobs and allow young people some economic security before they start their families.

• Encourage organizations of young people, to facilitate their leadership and participation in local decision-making, and act as a positive force for better governance.

 

As UNFPA’s State of World Population Report says, the wave of urbanization means that the battle for the Millennium Development Goals is being fought in the cities of developing countries. Young people will be in the forefront. Success depends on how well cities, countries and the international community strengthen and support them.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Youth Information is published by

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)

194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave

New Delhi 110029, India

Phone: 91 9811729093  / 91 11 26183978 Fax 91 11 26198423

Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@...

Web:  www.icyo.in

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth groups, clubs and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India. 

ICYO functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs in India. It's family consists of
over 356 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.

Our goal:
To improve and extend the youth work and services through Youth Organizations;
To enhance and demonstrate youth work in the society;
To promote effective youth programmmes;
To organize network of civil society organizations working towards the development of youth work;
To organize seminars, conferences, workshops, trainings;
To maintain international relation with organizations promoting young people in their programmes and activities

Affiliation: 

Consultative (Roster) Status with ECOSOC, United Nations;
Consultative Status with Commission on Sustainable Development;
Full Member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY); Asian Youth Council (AYC);
Youth for Habitat International Network (YFHIN); CRIN, South Asia Youth
Environment Network (SAYEN), Affiliate group of ECPAT International, Thailand;
ATSECE-DELHI, Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign;
Steering Committee member of World Bank's YDP Network;
Working relation with Indian Association of Parliamentarians (IAPPD);
International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations (IMPO);
Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD);
World Youth Foundation, Malaysia

 

ICYO - YOUTH INFORMATION

                           No: 2007/41 (June)

(E-Newsletter from network of youth organizations in India)

==================================================

ICYO - Platform of 356 Youth Organizations in India.       

ICYO - India’s largest network of urban and rural youth.

==================================================

Janadesh 2007: Countdown begins

 

The thousands of landless and deprived tribals and dalits are preparation for their final act to demand for their livelihood in India. They raised their concern on 25 June 2007 at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. They reminded that only hundred-day left to act to fill their demands for that they are campaigning since December 2005.

 

On 2^nd October 2007, twenty five thousand tribals and dalits will foot-march from Gwalior to Delhi and sit on (dharna) in Delhi till their demand is not fulfill.

 

The event held on 25^th June to mark the countdown the clock as only 100 days left for government to act to prevent the Delhi on seize.

 

At Jantar Mantar, large number of tribal gather comes from all over India and ‘protest fast’ organized which converted on march to ward Indian Parliament to give the memorandum to Prime Minister of India. The marchers were stopped at Parliament Street by police and allow the two representatives of the Marchers to go further.

 

Mr P V Rajagopalan, leader of Ekta Parishad told that this is not our demand but this people verdict and government to act positively.

 

He reminded to government to act immediately on these points: 
1. Constitute the National Land Authority 2. Those already have the ‘title of Land’ (Patta) should give the possession over the land 3. Right on land to the tribal/deprived peoples whom they are living from generations and traditionally cultivating the land.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Youth Information is published by

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)

194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave

New Delhi 110029, India

Phone: 91 9811729093  / 91 11 26183978 Fax 91 11 26198423

Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@...

Web:  www.icyo.in

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth groups, clubs and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India. 

ICYO functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs in India. It's family consists of
over 356 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.

Our goal:
To improve and extend the youth work and services through Youth Organizations;
To enhance and demonstrate youth work in the society;
To promote effective youth programmmes;
To organize network of civil society organizations working towards the development of youth work;
To organize seminars, conferences, workshops, trainings;
To maintain international relation with organizations promoting young people in their programmes and activities

Affiliation: 

Consultative (Roster) Status with ECOSOC, United Nations;
Consultative Status with Commission on Sustainable Development;
Full Member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY); Asian Youth Council (AYC);
Youth for Habitat International Network (YFHIN); CRIN, South Asia Youth
Environment Network (SAYEN), Affiliate group of ECPAT International, Thailand;
ATSECE-DELHI, Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign;
Steering Committee member of World Bank's YDP Network;
Working relation with Indian Association of Parliamentarians (IAPPD);
International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations (IMPO);
Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD);
World Youth Foundation, Malaysia

 

ICYO

YOUTH INFORMATION

                           No: 2007/40  (June)

(E-Newsletter from network of youth organizations in India)

==================================================

ICYO - Platform of 356 Youth Organizations in India.       

ICYO - India’s largest network of urban and rural youth.

==================================================

First Asian Youth Forum of UNESCO to be held in South Korea

 

The UNESCO (Section for Youth, Sport and Physical Education) is organizing the first Asian Youth Forum from June 25 to 29, 2007 in Jeju Island of Republic of Korea. This regional forum being organizes on the basis of the recommendations of 33rd Session of the UNESCO General Conference.

 

The Indian Committee of Youth Organizations asked to nominate the youth for the Forum, ICYO nominated Ms Shivangi Patel from Ahemdabad and she will attend the Forum.

 

Ms Patel is the only participant to represent India in the Forum.

 

The theme of the Forum will be “Young People and the Dialogue among Civilizations, Cultures and Peoples”.  This Regional Youth Forum allows youth participants to address regional issues by making recommendations for action, and by designing concrete initiatives, by and for young people. In this regard, the Forum also provide for the development of new partnerships, and for the consolidation of networks between young people, youth organizations, UNESCO and other partners.

 

Under this theme, the Youth Forum Report has recommended two sub-themes as specific foci of the regional youth forums: “‘Education for sustainable development’ and ‘Intercultural and interfaith dialogue to ensure peace’.”

 

The main objectives of this 1st Asian Youth Forum is to prepare for the UNESCO Youth Forum in October 2007; to allow participants of the Forum to elaborate specific themes, and related recommendations for action, regarding a dialogue of regional (sub-regional) concerns by and for young people; to consolidate and encourage networks and partnerships among young people, youth organizations, UNESCO and other partners concerned with youth, and dialogue in the region.

 

In the preparation for the Forum organizer created the listserv about two month ago for the E-dialogue among the participants. The online discussion already fills the energy for participation in the Forum.

 

The Expected Outcomes: Youth Forum should adopt a report outlining the salient discussions and recommendations from the Forum. The report will be widely disseminated as part of the follow-up, and will be included in the framework preparations for the UNESCO Youth Forum to be held at the 34th session of the General Conference; in addition, the 1st Asian Youth Forum on the theme of Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue to Ensure Peace will serve to highlight youth-led, best practices for promoting dialogue among cultures and peoples at all levels.

-=-=--=-=-=-==--=-=-----=-=-=-==---=-=-=-=-==-=-=-

Youth Information is published by

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)

194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave

New Delhi 110029, India

Phone: 91 9811729093  / 91 11 26183978 Fax 91 11 26198423

Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@...

Web:  www.icyo.in

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth groups, clubs and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India. 

ICYO functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs in India. It's family consists of
over 356 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.

Our goal:
To improve and extend the youth work and services through Youth Organizations;
To enhance and demonstrate youth work in the society;
To promote effective youth programmmes;
To organize network of civil society organizations working towards the development of youth work;
To organize seminars, conferences, workshops, trainings;
To maintain international relation with organizations promoting young people in their programmes and activities

Affiliation: 

Consultative (Roster) Status with ECOSOC, United Nations;
Consultative Status with Commission on Sustainable Development;
Full Member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY); Asian Youth Council (AYC);
Youth for Habitat International Network (YFHIN); CRIN, South Asia Youth
Environment Network (SAYEN), Affiliate group of ECPAT International, Thailand;
ATSECE-DELHI, Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign;
Steering Committee member of World Bank's YDP Network;
Working relation with Indian Association of Parliamentarians (IAPPD);
International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations (IMPO);
Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD);
World Youth Foundation, Malaysia

 

ICYO

YOUTH INFORMATION

                           No: 2007/39 (June)

(E-Newsletter from network of youth organizations in India)

==================================================

ICYO - Platform of 356 Youth Organizations in India.       

ICYO - India’s largest network of urban and rural youth.

==================================================

 

United Nations General Assembly adopts

2^nd October (Birth day of Mahtma Gandhi)

as International Day of non-violence

in its 103^rd Plenary Meeting

 

Adopting a text on the International Day of Non-Violence, contained in document A/61/L.62, the United Nations General Assembly decided on 15 June 2007 in its 103^rd Plenary meeting, to observe the International Day, with effect from the sixty-second session, on 2 October each year.  Bearing in mind that non-violence, tolerance, full respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, democracy, development, mutual understanding and respect of diversity, are interlinked and mutually reinforcing, it invited all Member States, United Nations organizations, regional and non-governmental organizations and individuals to commemorate the International Day in an appropriate manner and to disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness.  It further requested the Secretary-General to recommend ways and means by which the United Nations system and the Secretariat could, within existing resources, assist Member States in organizing activities to commemorate the Day.

 

Introducing the text, Anand Sharma, India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, said the idea of promoting the resolution originated from the Declaration adopted at the “International Conference on Peace, Non-Violence and Empowerment -– Gandhian Philosophy in the 21st Century”, which articulated a collective yearning to address hunger and poverty.  He said the wide co-sponsorship of the draft resolution reflected the universal respect that Mahatma Gandhi commanded, noting that his mode of non-violence brought down colonialism and inspired leaders such as Badshah Khan.  The draft was simple but significant, reaffirming the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence.  Promoting non-violence in such a manner would significantly contribute to the realization of the goals set out in the 1999 United Nations Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace.

-----------

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Youth Information is published by

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)

194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave

New Delhi 110029, India

Phone: 91 9811729093  / 91 11 26183978 Fax 91 11 26198423

Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@...

Web:  www.icyo.in

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth groups, clubs and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India. 

ICYO functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs in India. It's family consists of
over 356 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.

Our goal:
To improve and extend the youth work and services through Youth Organizations;
To enhance and demonstrate youth work in the society;
To promote effective youth programmmes;
To organize network of civil society organizations working towards the development of youth work;
To organize seminars, conferences, workshops, trainings;
To maintain international relation with organizations promoting young people in their programmes and activities

Affiliation: 

Consultative (Roster) Status with ECOSOC, United Nations;
Consultative Status with Commission on Sustainable Development;
Full Member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY); Asian Youth Council (AYC);
Youth for Habitat International Network (YFHIN); CRIN, South Asia Youth
Environment Network (SAYEN), Affiliate group of ECPAT International, Thailand;
ATSECE-DELHI, Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign;
Steering Committee member of World Bank's YDP Network;
Working relation with Indian Association of Parliamentarians (IAPPD);
International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations (IMPO);
Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD);
World Youth Foundation, Malaysia

 

 

ICYO

YOUTH INFORMATION

                           No: 2007/38  (June)

(E-Newsletter from network of youth organizations in India)

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ICYO - Platform of 356 Youth Organizations in India.       

ICYO - India’s largest network of urban and rural youth.

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Corruption in Education a Worldwide Problem

- says new UNESCO Report

 

Illegal registration fees, academic fraud, embezzlement, rigged calls for tender, and many other corrupt practices are seriously undermining education systems around the world according to a UNESCO report released today.

 

“Corrupt schools, corrupt universities: What can be done” is the result of several years of research into ethics and corruption undertaken by UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP). The Report assesses the nature and extent of the problem, how much it is costing societies and how it can be addressed. It refers to the experience of over 60 countries, using information from ministries, development agencies and national research institutes.

 

“This important study calls us to action,” said the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura. “Such widespread corruption not only costs societies billions of dollars, it also seriously undermines the vital effort to provide education for all. It prevents poorer parents from sending their children to school, robs schools and pupils of equipment, lowers teaching standards and thus education standards generally, and compromises the future of our youth. We cannot let it go unchecked.”

 

Several case studies from all regions of the world are presented in the Report, showing the great variety of corrupt practices in both rich and poor countries. According to the Report, leakage of funds from education ministries to schools can represent up to 80 per cent of the total sum of non-salary expenditures in some countries. It finds that bribes and payoffs in teacher recruitment and promotion tend to lower the quality of teachers, while illegal payments for school entrance and other hidden costs contribute to low enrolment and high drop-out rates. Recent surveys have shown that ghost teachers on school payrolls represent five per cent of the payroll in Honduras and 15 per cent in Papua New Guinea.

 

According to the Report, corruption in tertiary education takes the form of fraud in transborder education, fake universities and bogus degrees and accreditation fraud. The number of fake universities on the Internet that offer bogus degrees increased from 200 to 800 between 2000 and 2004. In the Ukraine, high officials from private universities revealed in 2005 that most successful licensing or accreditation applications—which are obligatory for the country’s 175 private universities—required some form of bribery.

 

The authors, Jacques Hallak and Muriel Poisson, look at several places where the introduction of simple measures has all but stamped out corrupt practices. In the early 1990s in Uganda, for example, only 13 per cent of the annual amount granted to schools per student actually got there. The rest was captured by local officials for purposes unrelated to education. A national campaign to inform local communities about where the funds were going has led to a complete reversal of the situation with some 85 per cent of allocated funds reaching their rightful destination as a result.

 

The authors of the report argue that leadership and political will at the highest level of governments is essential. Furthermore, more transparent regulatory systems, stronger management capacities for greater accountability, and greater ownership of the management process can help free educational systems from corruption. They make a number of recommendations on how the problem of corruption can be dealt with, most notably:

 

• Establishing clear norms and regulations, transparent procedures and an explicit policy framework that specify the respective responsibilities of different stakeholders in the allocation, distribution and use of educational resources.

 

• Improving management, accounting, monitoring and audit skills for administrative staff and other stakeholders, including Parent-Teacher Associations, unions and other relevant civil society organizations;

 

• Providing access to information to build participation, ownership and social control. Those closest to the point of delivery – the schools – must be sufficiently well informed not only to be able to detect fraud, but also to claim what they are entitled to receive.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Youth Information is published by

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)

194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave

New Delhi 110029, India

Phone: 91 9811729093  / 91 11 26183978 Fax 91 11 26198423

Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@...

Web:  www.icyo.in

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth groups, clubs and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India. 

ICYO functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs in India. It's family consists of
over 356 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.

Our goal:
To improve and extend the youth work and services through Youth Organizations;
To enhance and demonstrate youth work in the society;
To promote effective youth programmmes;
To organize network of civil society organizations working towards the development of youth work;
To organize seminars, conferences, workshops, trainings;
To maintain international relation with organizations promoting young people in their programmes and activities

Affiliation: 

Consultative (Roster) Status with ECOSOC, United Nations;
Consultative Status with Commission on Sustainable Development;
Full Member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY); Asian Youth Council (AYC);
Youth for Habitat International Network (YFHIN); CRIN, South Asia Youth
Environment Network (SAYEN), Affiliate group of ECPAT International, Thailand;
ATSECE-DELHI, Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign;
Steering Committee member of World Bank's YDP Network;
Working relation with Indian Association of Parliamentarians (IAPPD);
International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations (IMPO);
Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD);
World Youth Foundation, Malaysia

 

ICYO

YOUTH INFORMATION

                           No: 2007/37  (June)

(E-Newsletter from network of youth organizations in India)

==================================================

ICYO - Platform of 356 Youth Organizations in India.       

ICYO - India’s largest network of urban and rural youth.

==================================================

International Youth Forum

 

The International Youth Forum, entitled ‘Youth Speak - We Listen! Voices of Peace’ will be held from September 1-2, 2007 in Egypt and organized by Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement in collaboration of World Bank.e

 

Youth groups, committed to building peace, will have the opportunity by participating in the Forum, to utilize their skills and experiences in creating a stimulating environment from which they can consolidate their efforts in finding ways to best service their respective communities and societies.

 

The Forum will emphasize five principle themes, composed of several sessions. These sessions focus on the power of youth in promoting peace, social entrepreneur for peace, health, and no to exclusion! and investing in young women’s economic security, environment, and sports, to name but a few.

 

The organizer invited the nominations to participate. In terms of expenses, the organizer will be covering all expenses from arrival in the Cairo Airport, including air fair to Sharm El-Sheikh, accommodation. The air fair coverage from home countries are very limited.

ICYO invites the nominations from its member organizations from India.

The nominations are also welcome from youth organizations from Asian countries. Please note that participants must be under 25 year of age and gender balance should be maintain.

 

For more detail contact ICYO secretariat (icyoindia@...) with full detail about the participant.

 

Workshop on Developing International Young Leaders

The International Youth Centre (IYC), Kuala Lumpur is organizing the Workshop On Developing International Young Leaders from 1-8 July 2007, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The workshop will be organized in cooperation with the University Putra Malaysia (UPM), Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia, Asian Youth Council (AYC), Committee for ASEAN Youth Cooperation (CAYC) and the Malaysian Youth Council (MYC).

For more detail contact ICYO secretariat at icyoindia@...

-=-=--=-=-=-==--=-=-----=-=-=-==---=-=-=-=-==-=-=-

Youth Information is published by

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)

194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave, New Delhi 110029, India

Phone: 91 9811729093  / 91 11 26183978 Fax 91 11 26198423

Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@...  Web:  www.icyo.in

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth groups, clubs and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India. 

ICYO functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs in India. It's family consists of over 356 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.

Our goal:
To improve and extend the youth work and services through Youth Organizations;
To enhance and demonstrate youth work in the society;
To promote effective youth programmmes;
To organize network of civil society organizations working towards the development of youth work;
To organize seminars, conferences, workshops, trainings;
To maintain international relation with organizations promoting young people in their programmes and activities

Affiliation: 

Consultative (Roster) Status with ECOSOC, United Nations;
Consultative Status with Commission on Sustainable Development;
Full Member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY); Asian Youth Council (AYC);
Youth for Habitat International Network (YFHIN); CRIN, South Asia Youth
Environment Network (SAYEN), Affiliate group of ECPAT International, Thailand;
ATSECE-DELHI, Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign;
Steering Committee member of World Bank's YDP Network;
Working relation with Indian Association of Parliamentarians (IAPPD);
International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations (IMPO);
Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD);
World Youth Foundation, Malaysia

ICYO - YOUTH INFORMATION

 No: 2007/36  (May)

(E-Newsletter from network of youth organizations in India)

==================================================

ICYO - Platform of 356 Youth Organizations in India.       

ICYO - India’s largest network of urban and rural youth.

==================================================

We are reproducing the newsletter ‘Youth InfoNet 33 (April 2007)’ which is published by Family Health International.  For copies of the resources mentioned in the newsletter, please click the hyperlink or contact information with each item.    -Editorial Team, ICYO Youth Information.

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I. PROGRAM RESOURCES

1. Evaluation of Stepping Stones: A Gender Transformative HIV Prevention Intervention (2007, PDF, 3.55 MB)

This research brief summarizes an evaluation of Stepping Stones, an HIV prevention program that aims to improve sexual health through building stronger, more gender-equitable relationships with better communication between partners. The qualitative study found fewer new infections among those participating in the program, compared to a control arm.
Organization: South Africa Medical Research Council
Contact: rjewkes@...

2. Field Assessment of Emergency Plan Centrally-Funded HIV Prevention Programs for Youth (2007, PDF, 375 KB)
This report includes a description of the strengths and weaknesses of the 14 funded programs and recommendations for strengthening them. An appendix includes a summary of a meeting discussing the evaluation process and the assessment tool used. The tool can be used more broadly to evaluate programs at the design, implementation, or evaluation phases.
Organization: MEASURE Evaluation
Contact: measure@...

3. Guidelines for Integrating Sexual and Reproductive Health into the HIV/AIDS Component of Country Coordinated Proposals to be Submitted to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Round 7 and Beyond (2007, PDF, 271 KB)
These guidelines are designed to help agencies better utilize the resources of the Global Fund for sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Youth SRH guidelines are included in sections on voluntary counseling and testing, gender-based violence, and scaling up STI and HIV prevention.
Organization: Global AIDS Alliance (GAA) and partners
Contact: lschechtman@...

4. Investing in our Future (2006, PDF, 3.04 MB)
This framework, focusing on youth in East Asia and the Pacific, identifies the practical components of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health programs to target 10- to 24-year-olds, as well as strategies for program success. It provides guidance to policy-makers and program managers.
Organization: WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF
Contact: bookorders@...

5. Keep the Promise: A Teaching Resource on Advocacy and HIV and AIDS (2006, PDF, 2.10 MB)
This faith-based resource, written for teachers and group leaders of 11- to 16-year-olds, provides classroom materials on HIV and AIDS designed to motivate students to take action in the fight against the pandemic. Its objective is to build awareness, educate, and inspire young people to express their views by way of a letter-writing campaign.
Organization: The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
Contact: info@...

6. Keeping the Promise: Five Benefits of Girls' Secondary Education (2006, PDF, 2.18 MB)
This paper analyzes the gender gaps in secondary participation across sub-Saharan Africa, discusses the multiple barriers to girls' education, and finds that secondary education for girls improves primary school attendance, social benefits, health benefits, HIV/AIDS mitigation, and poverty alleviation. Strategies for promoting and improving girls' secondary education are included, with case studies, analysis, and reporting.
Organization: Center for Gender Equity, AED
Contact: communicationsmail@...

7. Quantitative Research Instrument to Measure School-Related Gender-Based Violence (2006, PDF, 957 KB)
This paper presents quantitative research instruments developed for a study examining gender-based violence in schools in Malawi. It summarizes a sampling methodology, interview guidelines, and analysis approaches to assess knowledge, attitudes, practices, and experiences of youth and teachers regarding all types of gender-based violence in their schools. USAID funded the study through Safe Schools Program.
Organization: DevTech Systems, CERT
Contact: rcolumbia@...

8. Teaching Adults to Communicate with Youth from a Muslim Perspective (2007, PDF, 3.45 MB) and Participant Handbook (PDF, 2.28 MB)

The manual and handbook encourage open discussion about sexuality, reproductive health, and HIV in the context of the Muslim faith. Participants practice communication skills and learn factual information as linked to religious teachings and appropriate Quran verses. It is not designed to promote religion.
Organization: Family Health International/YouthNet
Contact: youthnetpubs@...

9. Teacher Identities and Empowerment of Girls against Sexual Violence (2006, PDF, 450 KB)
This report describes the way that teachers' behavior toward students influences negative gender relationships. In particular, male teachers are found to behave violently toward boys, creating negative role models, and to sexualize and sexually harass girls, disempowering them. Some recommendations, including reflective practices for teachers and trainees, are included.
Organization: United Nations
Contact: daw@...

10. Women, Girls, Boys and Men: Different Needs – Equal Opportunities (2006, PDF, 3.33 MB)
This handbook sets forth standards for the integration of gender issues from the outset of a new complex emergency or disaster, so that humanitarian services reach their target audience and neither exacerbate the problem nor inadvertently put people at risk.
Organization: Inter-agency Standing Committee (IASC)
Contact: www.humanitarianinfo.org/iasc/content/contact/default.asp

11. Young People's Sexual and Reproductive Health in the Middle East and North Africa (2007, PDF, 123 KB)
This eight-page brief summarizes the changes among youth's sexual and reproductive health in the Middle East and North Africa. It provides useful data and points out the lack of access to information and services related to sexual and reproductive health.
Organization: Population Reference Bureau
Contact: popref@...

12. Young Single Motherhood: Contested Notions of Motherhood and Sexuality in Policy Discourses/Program Interventions (2006, PDF, 450 KB)
This working paper examines issues related to young single motherhood, and questions current policies and approaches, even by those attempting to help these mothers. This provocative paper, based on an analysis of specific projects and the literature, addresses ways to help young single mothers form alliances to seek redress to injustices they face.
Organization: Institute of Social Studies
Contact: workingpapers@...

13. Youth in Crisis – Coming of Age in the 21st Century (2007, PDF, 4.81 MB)
This 80-page report describes the impact of the events shaping the lives of youth bearing the tragic consequences of their nations' worst problems – from the illegal forced marriage of teenage girls in Afghanistan and Ethiopia, to the tripling of school fees and the deteriorating education system in Zimbabwe. Case studies are compelling.
Organization: IRIN News
Contact: feedback@...

14. Youth Issues Paper No. 7: Youth Peer Education in Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS: Progress, Process, and Programming for the Future (2006, PDF, KB)
This 28-page report summarizes the latest thinking on youth peer education, based on a technical consultation held in 2006, with evidence of the degree of impact, examples of programs that are scaling up activities, and suggestions for the future.
Organization: Family Health International/YouthNet
Contact: youthnetpubs@...

15. YouthLens Briefs Nos. 19-21 (2007)
These four-page briefs synthesize recent research and program experiences in key areas for youth programming.

·                                 19. Community Involvement in Youth Reproductive Health and HIV Prevention (PDF, KB) 

·                                 20. School-Based Reproductive Health and HIV Education Programs — An Effective Intervention (PDF, KB) 

·                                 21. Integrating Reproductive Health and HIV Services for Youth (PDF, KB) 

Organization: Family Health International for Interagency Youth Working Group
Contact: youthwg@...

16. YouthNet End of Program Report – Taking Action: Recommendations and Resources (2006, PDF, KB)
The final report of the YouthNet Program (2001-2006) synthesizes its work into ten results, incorporating findings from research, technical assistance, country activities, global leadership, publications, and more. YouthNet Publications, 2002-2006, a separate CD-ROM that accompanies the report, includes all YouthNet publications produced during the life of the program.
Organization: Family Health International/YouthNet
Contact: youthnetpubs@...

II. RESEARCH SUMMARIES

1. Attitudes towards HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases in secondary school students in Izmir, Turkey: changes in time. Yamazhan T, Gokengin D, Ertem E, et al. Trop Doct 2007;37(1).
The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in the sexual attitudes of young people over a period of 7 years (1997-2004). The participants in the first and the second surveys were 633 and 654 grade 10 students from six high schools located in the central district of Izmir, Turkey, chosen randomly according to the stratified sampling method. The rate of having had a sexual experience was 11.3% and 22.8% in the first and second surveys, respectively (chi(2) P < 0.001).

2. Coerced first sexual intercourse and selected reproductive health outcomes among young women in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Maharaj P, Munthree C. J Biosoc Sci 2007;39(2).
This paper uses data collected in 2001 from the second round of a longitudinal study of 1,130 sexually experienced young women in KwaZulu-Natal to investigate the relationship between coerced first intercourse and selected reproductive health outcomes and behaviors. Nearly 46% of all sexually experienced young women had reported that their first sexual encounter had been coerced. Young women who reported being coerced at first sex were significantly more likely to be black and living in an urban area. Those who had been coerced at first sex were also more likely to report having had an STI and having experienced unintended pregnancy, than those who had not been coerced at first sex. Coercion at first sex is an important social and public health problem that has a serious impact on the reproductive health and behaviors of young women. Interventions should directly address the issue of sexual coercion by ensuring that young women are aware of their reproductive rights.

3. Evaluation of the reach and impact of the 100% Jeune youth social marketing program in Cameroon: findings from three cross-sectional surveys (PDF, 307 KB). Plautz A, Meekers D. Reprod Health 2007;4(Article No.1).
This study evaluates the 100% Jeune program, analyzing its reach and impact on condom use, level of sexual activity, and predictors of condom use. This analysis uses data from three waves of the Cameroon Adolescent Reproductive Health Survey, implemented at 18-month intervals between 2000 and 2003. The sample is restricted to unmarried youth aged 15-24; sample sizes are 1,956 youth in 2000, 3,237 in 2002, and 3,370 in 2003. Logistic regression analyses determine trends in reproductive health behavior and their predictors, as well as estimate the effect of program exposure on these variables. All regression analyses control for differences in sample characteristics. A comparison of trends over the 36-month study period shows that substantial positive changes occurred among youth. Results of dose response analyses indicate that some of these positive changes in condom use and predictors of use can be attributed to the 100% Jeune youth social marketing program. The program contributed to substantial increases in condom use, including consistent use with regular partners among youth of both sexes. Among males, it also contributed to consistent use with casual partners. Observed secular trends indicate that factors besides the 100% Jeune program also contributed to the observed improvements. Despite efforts to promote abstinence, the 100% Jeune program had no effect on levels of sexual activity or number of sexual partners. Likewise, there is no evidence that reproductive health programs for youth lead to increased sexual activity. Results show that 100% Jeune successfully used a variety of mass media and interpersonal communication channels to reach a high proportion of youth throughout the intervention period. Resources should be allocated to identify and understand predictors of abstinence and partner reduction to inform future programming decisions.

4. Exposure to MTV's global HIV prevention campaign in Kathmandu, Nepal; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Dakar, Senegal. Geary CW, Burke HM, Castelnau L, et al. AIDS Educ Prev 2007;19(1).
In 2002, MTV aired a global media campaign, "Staying Alive," to promote HIV prevention among 16- to 25-year-olds. Skeptics believed that a global MTV campaign would reach only a small group of elite young people. MTV increased access to its campaign, however, by making all materials "rights free" to third-party (non-MTV) broadcasters. Over 789 million households in over 166 countries had access to some or all of the campaign. To understand the level of actual exposure and the types of young people exposed, data were analyzed from population-based household surveys in three diverse urban areas where a campaign evaluation was conducted: Kathmandu, Nepal; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Dakar, Senegal. Exposure rates ranged from 12% in Kathmandu to 23% in Sao Paulo, and 82% in Dakar, reaching an estimated 32,000, 400,000, and 220,000 16- to 25-year-olds in each city, respectively. A number of personal, social and economic characteristics found to predict campaign exposure were identified in each site; in general, these were related to economic status and use of "new" media technologies. Though this skew toward more exposure by those with greater resources existed, we found that the campaign audience was in no way composed only of "elite" young people. The possibility of reaching millions of young people through global networks with minimal marginal costs after production creates a new paradigm for reaching an important segment of young people.

5. Factors associated with safe sex among public school students in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Viana FJ, Faundes A, de Mello MB, et al. Cad Saude Publica 2007;23(1).
A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate factors associated with safe sex among sexually active public school students in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The study focused on correlations between multiple variables, including gender, age, schooling, current grade, ethnicity, religion, importance attributed to religion, mother's education, prior exposure to any sex education, promotion of juvenile protagonism, participation by health professionals in school activities, consistent condom use with casual or stable partners, and use of other modern contraceptive methods. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used. Male gender and participation by health professionals in school activities were positively associated with all indicators of safe sex, and maternal schooling of more than eight years was positively associated with consistent condom use with casual and stable partners. Secondary (versus elementary) schooling and age (older) were inversely associated with consistent condom use with casual and stable partners, respectively. Ascribing greater importance to religion and Evangelical religion were negatively associated with use of modern contraceptives at last sexual intercourse.

6. Fighting AIDS among adolescent women: effects of a public communication campaign in Brazil. Porto MP. J Health Commun 2007;12(2).
In 2003, Brazil's Ministry of Health launched a national Carnival Campaign aimed at promoting the use of condoms by adolescent women. It was broadcast on television and radio between February 16 and March 3, and it targeted young women between 13 and 19 years of age, a social group that had previously registered an increase in the number of AIDS cases and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The Ministry hired Kelly Key, a Brazilian pop singer, to deliver the campaign messages. One of the objectives was to empower the girls and encourage them not to be ashamed to buy condoms and to demand that their partners use them. The article presents the results of a national survey conducted with 1,006 adolescent women, which was sponsored by the Ministry of Health. The results show that campaign materials reached the main target audience and that they were very positively received. The campaign generated discussions in the adolescents' social environments and reinforced a social norm that favors the participation of women in the purchase and use of condoms.

7. MTV's "Staying Alive" global campaign promoted interpersonal communication about HIV and positive beliefs about HIV prevention. Geary CW, Burke HM, Castelnau L, et al. AIDS Educ Prev 2007;19(1).
In 2002, MTV launched a global multicomponent HIV prevention campaign, "Staying Alive," reaching over 166 countries worldwide. An evaluation of this campaign focused on three diverse sites: Kathmandu, Nepal; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Dakar, Senegal. Data were collected before and after campaign implementation through population-based household surveys. Using linear regression techniques, the evaluation examined the effects of campaign exposure on interpersonal communication about HIV, and the effects of campaign exposure and interpersonal communication on beliefs about HIV prevention. What emerged was a consistent positive effect of exposure on interpersonal communication across all sites, although there were differences among sites with regard to whom the respondent talked to about HIV. The evaluation also revealed a consistent positive effect of exposure on HIV prevention beliefs across sites when interpersonal communication was simultaneously entered into the model. Finally, in two sites, a relationship was found between interpersonal communication and HIV prevention beliefs, controlling for exposure; although, once again, the effects differed based on the type of person with which the communication took place. These similar findings in three diverse sites provide ecological validity of the findings that "Staying Alive" promoted interpersonal communication and influenced young people's beliefs about HIV prevention in a positive way, which is evidence for the potential of a global media campaign to have an impact on social norms.

8. Pubertal transitions in health. Patton GC, Viner R. Lancet 2007;369(9567).
Puberty is accompanied by physical, psychological, and emotional changes that help ensure reproductive and parenting success. Human puberty stands out in the animal world for its association with brain maturation and physical growth. Its effects on health and wellbeing are profound and paradoxical. On the one hand, physical maturation propels an individual into adolescence with peaks in strength, speed, and fitness. Clinicians have viewed puberty as a point of maturing out of childhood. However, puberty's relevance for health has shifted with a modern rise in psychosocial disorders of young people. It marks a transition in risks for depression and other mental disorders, psychosomatic syndromes, substance misuse, and antisocial behaviors. Recent secular trends in these psychosocial disorders coincide with a growing mismatch between biological and social maturation, and the emergence of more dominant youth cultures.

9. Quasi-experimental evaluation of a national primary school HIV intervention in Kenya. Maticka-Tyndale E, Wildish J, Gichuru M. Eval Program Plann 2007;30(2).
This study examined the impact of a primary-school HIV education initiative on the knowledge, self-efficacy, and sexual and condom use activities of upper primary-school pupils in Kenya. A quasi-experimental mixed qualitative-quantitative pre- and 18-month post-design using 40 intervention and 40 matched control schools demonstrated significant program impact on targeted objectives of (1) adequate program delivery and, for standard 6 and 7 pupils (ages 11–16 years), (2) increased HIV-related knowledge; (3) increased communication with parents and teachers about HIV and sexuality; (4) increased assistance to fellow pupils to avoid sexual activity; (5) increased self-efficacy related to abstinence and condom use; (6) decreased exposure to HIV through delayed first intercourse, decreased sexual activity, and increased condom use. Results support the conclusions that the existing infrastructure is adequate for national roll-out of the program; that the program has its most beneficial effect on sexually inexperienced youth and should therefore be implemented with the youngest age groups possible; and that gains are gender specific, with boys reporting increased condom use while girls are more likely to decrease or delay sexual activity. Based on these results, the program began national roll-out to all primary schools in 2005. By June 2006, the program was operating in 11,000 of the country's nearly 19,000 schools.

10. Severe complications of circumcision: an analysis of 48 cases. Ceylan K, Burhan K, Yilmaz Y, et al. J Pediatr Urol 2007;3(1).
Circumcision is still the most commonly performed surgery in Islamic and Jewish societies. This article reports findings from 48 cases with serious complications after circumcision that needed secondary surgical interventions. The aim of this study is to emphasize the important problem of circumcision complications. The 48 cases (mean age of 14 years, range of 5 months-24 years) were reviewed retrospectively. Circumcisions were performed at various medical centers or during religious ceremonies in environments other than health facilities. The most commonly observed complication was preputio-glandular fusion, seen in 25 cases (52%). The other complications were: meatal stenosis in 11 (23%), urethral fistula in five (10.4%), partial glandular amputation in four (8%), and opening distal urethra in three (6%). Adhesion freeing and revision were performed in all cases of preputio-glandular fusion; patients with meatal stenosis underwent meatotomy; urethral fistulae were repaired by simple closure; partial glans amputations were patched with buccal mucosa; and patients with complete open distal urethra were repaired by Mathieu (one patient) and tubularized incised plate urethroplasty techniques. There are many serious complications that can result from circumcision. To prevent these complications, the operation should be performed by educated and experienced personnel.

11. Sexual behaviours and contraception among university students in Turkey. Aras S, Orcin E, Ozan S, et al. J Biosoc Sci 2007;39(1).
An anonymous questionnaire was administered to 550 final-year university students aged 20-25 years in Izmir, Turkey. Male students opposed premarital sexual intercourse for both genders more often than female students did. The frequency of sexual intercourse among male students (61.2%) was higher than that among female students (18.3%). The mean age of first sexual intercourse was lower among male respondents than among female ones. The rate of condom use at first sexual intercourse was 47.4%. The frequency of having two or more past sexual partners and of practicing masturbation was higher among males than among females. It was found that there were culture-specific and gender-dependent differences in sexual attitudes and behaviors among the university students. These results may help in the planning of education and health policies in Turkey.

12. Theory-based predictors of condom use among university students in the United States and South Africa. Heeren GA, Jemmott JB 3rd, Mandeya A, et al. AIDS Educ Prev 2007;19(1).
This study compared the predictive value of the theory of planned behavior in university students in South Africa (N = 251) and the United States (N = 160) who completed an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Multiple regression analyses revealed that condom use and intention were significantly predicted by positive condom attitude, subjective norm, self-efficacy, and attending university in South Africa. Significant interactions between country and predictors indicated that subjective norm predicted condom use and intention more strongly in the American sample than in the South African sample; attitude predicted intention more strongly in the American sample than in the South African one; but self-efficacy predicted intention more strongly in the South African sample than in the American one. The theory of planned behavior may provide a useful framework for interventions to reduce South African students' risk of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections. Such interventions should have a strong focus on building self-efficacy to use condoms.

13. Trends in HIV Infection: Prevention-Related Attitudes and Behaviors Among Secondary School Students in Western Uganda. Kilian AH, Kipp W, Jhangri GS, et al. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2007;44(5).
The study used annual data collected in a group of sentinel secondary schools in 3 districts by means of a short, self-administered, and anonymous questionnaire. Fifteen secondary schools were randomly selected, and a cross-sectional survey of students was carried out each year between 1995 and 2001. All students from S (senior level) 2 to S4 were invited to complete the questionnaire. For data analysis, all completed questionnaires of students between the ages of 12 and 20 years were considered. In total, 6 surveys were carried out yielding 6,231 valid questionnaires. Ever use of condoms among sexually active youth increased significantly, from 48.8% in 1995 to 1996 to 72.8% in 2000 to 2001. Male students were more likely to report increased sexual abstinence during the time period than female students. Conversely, female students over the same time period reported having fewer sexual partners than male students. The number of sexually active students reporting sexual intercourse in the past 3 months remained the same. These data show significant positive changes in the sexual behavior of secondary school students in western Uganda. This could explain, in part, the decline of HIV prevalence rates among young people observed in this region.

To subscribe to Youth InfoNet write to youthwg@...

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Youth Information is published by

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)

194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave

New Delhi 110029, India

Phone: 91 9811729093  / 91 11 26183978 Fax 91 11 26198423

Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@...

Web:  www.icyo.in

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth groups, clubs and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India. 

ICYO functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs in India. It's family consists of
over 356 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.

ICYO

YOUTH INFORMATION

                           No: 2007/35  (May)

(E-Newsletter from network of youth organizations in India)

==================================================

ICYO - Platform of 356 Youth Organizations in India.       

ICYO - India’s largest network of urban and rural youth.

==================================================

Be Active Champions for Young People - Pacific Parliamentarians Urged 

22 MAY 2007, The United Nations Population Funds (UNFPA)Representative to the Pacific, Najib Assifi has urged the Pacific Parliamentarians gathered in the Samoan capital, Apia to pledge their utmost support, dedication and solidarity to safeguard the youthof the Pacific.

Speaking at the 2nd Regional Meeting for Pacific Parliamentarians on Safeguarding Pacific Youth, Mr Assifi said those gathered are to be active champions for the young people of the Pacific.

If we do not work together, we will shortchange ourselves and jeopardise our chances of success, he said.

In the Pacific region there is a real need for dialogue and greater understanding among parents, families, communities and governments about the complex and sensitive situations facing young people.

By taking concerted actions to address these challenges, governments can meet their commitments to young people, meet international goals, and give hope to the worlds largest generation of young people, Mr Assifi said.

He said there were two reasons why the Pacific should invest in young people and their human rights.

The first reason is because young people account for such a large share of the population and they can be a dynamic force for change, but greater investments must be targeted to their well-being.

Young people, against a background of often limited economic growth, face increasing competition for jobs and other economic opportunities. Investing in the education and health of the current youth generation will pay off, in terms of improved productivity, reduced health costs and enhanced social capital, Mr. Assifi emphasised.

The second reason is because five of the Millennium Development Goals cover areas in which young people are directly involved and the goals will not be achieved unless we focus on youth. These goals are designed to guide us in our work to: Eradicate poverty; Achieve universal primary education; Promote gender equality and empower women; Improve maternal health; Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB; and develop a global partnership for development.

With the theme Safeguarding Pacific Youth parliamentary representatives from 15 Pacific Island countries will deliberate over the information and tools that will help them expand their understanding of the Millennium Development Goals and the concerns of youths in the Pacific.

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Youth Information is published by

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)

194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave

New Delhi 110029, India

Phone: 91 9811729093  / 91 11 26183978 Fax 91 11 26198423

Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@...

Web:  www.icyo.in

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth groups, clubs and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India. 

ICYO functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs in India. It's family consists of
over 356 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.

Our goal:
To improve and extend the youth work and services through Youth Organizations;
To enhance and demonstrate youth work in the society;
To promote effective youth programmmes;
To organize network of civil society organizations working towards the development of youth work;
To organize seminars, conferences, workshops, trainings;
To maintain international relation with organizations promoting young people in their programmes and activities

Affiliation: 

Consultative (Roster) Status with ECOSOC, United Nations;
Consultative Status with Commission on Sustainable Development;
Full Member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY); Asian Youth Council (AYC);
Youth for Habitat International Network (YFHIN); CRIN, South Asia Youth
Environment Network (SAYEN), Affiliate group of ECPAT International, Thailand;
ATSECE-DELHI, Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign;
Steering Committee member of World Bank's YDP Network;
Working relation with Indian Association of Parliamentarians (IAPPD);
International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations (IMPO);
Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD);
World Youth Foundation, Malaysia

 

Call of Participants for Youth Dialogue on

‘We are One’

 

World Youth Foundation will organize the Asia Europe Youth Dialogue with the theme "We Are One" in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia, Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia, the State Government of Melaka, and various other agencies. The Dialogue also has the support of the Asia Europe Foundation (ASEF) and will be held from June 30 to 4 July 2007 in Melaka, Malaysia.

 

This Dialogue will contribute to the forthcoming ASEM Meeting of Ministers on Cultures to be held in 16^th – 17^th July 2007 in Kuala Lumpur.  Malaysia is the host of this important event and supporting this Dialogue seems an important step in cooperating cultural understanding among youth in the ASEM region.

 

This Dialogue will contribute to forge partnership between Asia (ASEM Region) and Europe that is based in equal partnership, mutual respect and mutual understanding – all part of the ASEM process.

 

“We are One" will also provide a unique opportunity for young people from ASEM and Europe to discuss and understand the different cultural and social priorities and beliefs in their regions thus cultivating a culture of peace and dialogue.

 

The objectives of this Dialogue are:

 

Ø        To create awareness of cultural differences at local, national and international level, as well as to identify existing common ground.

Ø        To increase inter-cultural dialogue and build bridges between those of different faith and ethnicity especially between young people of Asia and Europe.

Ø        To encourage initiatives aimed at promoting understanding of the diverse cultures of countries in Asia and Europe particularly among the younger generation.

 

Application Criteria :

• Be a national of an ASEM country
• 2 participants per country
• 18 – 30  years of age

• Youth representatives from various national youth coordination councils or a civil society organization, including those working in institutions promoting cultural dialogue, think tanks or those in accomplishments like education, arts, media from Asia and Europe.

Please not that ‘No travel assistance’ available.

 

Application Procedure :

Please fill the attached application form and send by either email or fax to the Foundation latest by 31^st May 2007. Please include in not more than 20 lines a brief biographical note of yourself on a separate sheet of paper.

 

More information available from wyf@...

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Youth Information is published by

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)

194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave

New Delhi 110029, India

Phone: 91 9811729093  / 91 11 26183978 Fax 91 11 26198423

Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@...

Web:  www.icyo.in

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth groups, clubs and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India. 

ICYO functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs in India. It's family consists of
over 356 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.

Our goal:
To improve and extend the youth work and services through Youth Organizations;
To enhance and demonstrate youth work in the society;
To promote effective youth programmmes;
To organize network of civil society organizations working towards the development of youth work;
To organize seminars, conferences, workshops, trainings;
To maintain international relation with organizations promoting young people in their programmes and activities

Affiliation: 

Consultative (Roster) Status with ECOSOC, United Nations;
Consultative Status with Commission on Sustainable Development;
Full Member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY); Asian Youth Council (AYC);
Youth for Habitat International Network (YFHIN); CRIN, South Asia Youth
Environment Network (SAYEN), Affiliate group of ECPAT International, Thailand;
ATSECE-DELHI, Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign;
Steering Committee member of World Bank's YDP Network;
Working relation with Indian Association of Parliamentarians (IAPPD);
International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations (IMPO);
Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD);
World Youth Foundation, Malaysia

The Supreme Court of India set the guidelines against Ragging in Colleges. We are reproducing here the details of court guidelines, from national newspapers.

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Anti-ragging Guidelines Welcome

  

THE ACADEMIA on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court guidelines to check ragging in colleges, but had a word of caution on the provision of initiating criminal proceedings against the perpetrators, saying it could be used to settle personal scores on the campus.

 

The directions have been widely applauded as a necessary step to weed out the menace of ragging but most feel that the execution of the provisions needs much care. "It was much needed. But a deterrent cannot be at the cost of one's career, any harsh action to an offender without defining the act of ragging could prove counter-productive," said Prof. Anil Kumar of the Shri Ram College of Commerce.

 

Accepting most of the recommendations of the Raghavan Committee, the apex court had issued a slew of directives to check ragging on campuses across the country "There is a possibility of personal scores being settled against the seniors via the act if the provisions are not implemented with utmost care," said Sidharth Mishra, Chairman, Governing Body of Maharaja Agrasen College.

 

Student's bodies have stressed that the college administration needs to ensure minimal external interference, like that of the police, for healthy functioning of the campus. "We have always stood for harsh punishments for the perpetrators of ragging. It is no doubt a crime. But, on this pretext, there are chances of the police entering the campus," said Arun Kumar, President, Students' Federation of India.

 

"It should be left to the campus community whether to call in the police or not. The Committee recommendations are definitely a step towards democratisation of campuses," he said.

 (HT/May 17, 2007)

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Principals Oppose Ragging FIR

New Delhi: Though the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered educational institutions to file FIRs against students indulging in ragging, the heads of several city colleges said this should be treated only as a ‘‘last resort’’ since such a harsh step could jeopardise students’ future. Strict disclipinary action was enough to make errant students fall in line, they opined.

 

‘‘Nabbing the culprit is the responsibility of the head of institution and there’s no need for the police to intervene. For instance, we expelled four students from the hostel two years ago when they were caught ragging freshers,’’ said Kirori Mal College principal Bhim Sen Singh. ‘‘Ragging can take various forms — from asking freshers to sing or dance to sexually harassing them. We cannot generalise the act and file an FIR against everyone found indulging in ragging. There should be a more clear definition of the term,’’ Singh added.

 

The court, while accepting most recommendations of the R K Raghavan committee on Wednesday, gave a slew of directions. The recommendations included an amendment of the Criminal Procedure Code to ensure that cases of ragging are tried on a fasttrack. The punishment should be harsh and examplary to act as a deterrent, it said.

 

But lodging an FIR against a teenager may ruin his or her career, said Hindu College principla Kavita Sharma. ‘‘At the college level, we do have a disciplinary committee with representatives from the faculty, non-teaching staff and students, which takes necessary action against erring seniors. Five years ago, we fined two students Rs 3,000 each when they were caught ragging,’’ she added.

 

Officials of residential institutes like IITs and IIMs, where ragging is more prevalent, also feel that they have enough rules in place to curb the menace. ‘‘We have a monitoring committee to keep a constant vigil and a permanent
standing committee chaired by the director to take necessary action against the guilty. In 2003, some students were expelled for a year. The expulsion can go up to three years even,’’ said Anurag Sharma, dean (students), IIT-Delhi. Even DU has an ordinance in place, which says that ragging would lead to expulsion.

But there are also people who find nothing wrong in filing FIRs against errant srudents. Principal of Ramjas College Rajendra Prasad said: ‘‘Ragging is a criminal activity. A student studying in an institution of higher learning is considered an adult, then why he/she should not be booked if found guilty of ragging? Moreover, a student cannot escape the law if found harassing someone outside the campus.’’

 

Agreed Institute of Hotel Management principal Alok Shivpuri: ‘‘The move will help us to check ragging but students and parents need more counselling to help us eradicate the menace.’’

 

As for students, they have welcomed the court’s directions, but are at the same time apprehensive that the wrond person may be booked. ‘‘One should listen to both parties to ensure that only the culprit is booked,’’ said DUSU president Amrita Dhawan. The apex court has also stated that SCERT and NCERT should introduce an ‘‘anti-ragging’’ chapter. ‘‘Integrating ragging into the school curriculum will help kids to learn about its fallout,’’ said C Gurumurthty, director (academics), CBSE.

(Time of India/ May 17, 2007)

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SC Gives Freshers a Weapon Against Ragging: FIR & Law

NEW DELHI, MAY 16 : Ragging should now be a criminal offence, the Supreme Court held today, much like crimes against women like cruelty or dowry-related offences.

ICYO

YOUTH INFORMATION

                           No: 2007/32  (MAY)

(E-Newsletter from network of youth organizations in India)

==================================================

ICYO - Platform of 356 Youth Organizations in India.       

ICYO - India’s largest network of urban and rural youth.

==================================================

India Lags Behind in Terms of Maternal Health  

New Delhi, May. 13 (PTI): As the world celebrates Mother's Day today, the state of mothers in the country is far from satisfactory as India records the highest number of maternal deaths across the globe.

The State of the World's Mothers Report, 2007, released by the US-based NGO "Save the Children" states that India tops the list of countries in maternal deaths.

"India records the highest number of 1,36,000 maternal deaths every year. The number is even higher than the maternal deaths reported in the less developed countries like Ethiopia, Congo and Nigeria," the report said.

The well-being of mothers was evaluated on various scales -- educational, political, economical and health status -- among 66 countries in which India was found trailing at the 61st position.

"India stands at a low 61st position in the Mothers Index Ranking-2007, with just five countries behind it, the reason being the increased lifetime risk of maternal mortality in India, which is around 48 per cent," said the report.

The children in the country too are in a poor state, with 1.9 million of the total ten million children deaths in the world in a year being reported in India.

"Almost 60 per cent of all child deaths occur in just ten countries and the large populous countries like China and India have very high child mortality rates," the report said.

Six of these countries alone - India, Nigeria, Congo, Ethiopia, Pakistan and China - account for nearly 50 per cent of the worldwide deaths among children younger than five.

-=-=--=-=-=-==--=-=-----=-=-=-==---=-=-=-=-==-=-=-

Youth Information is published by

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)

194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave

New Delhi 110029, India

Phone: 91 9811729093  / 91 11 26183978 Fax 91 11 26198423

Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@...

Web:  www.icyo.in

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth groups, clubs and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India. 

ICYO functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs in India. It's family consists of
over 356 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.

Our goal:
To improve and extend the youth work and services through Youth Organizations;
To enhance and demonstrate youth work in the society;
To promote effective youth programmmes;
To organize network of civil society organizations working towards the development of youth work;
To organize seminars, conferences, workshops, trainings;
To maintain international relation with organizations promoting young people in their programmes and activities

Affiliation: 

Consultative (Roster) Status with ECOSOC, United Nations;
Consultative Status with Commission on Sustainable Development;
Full Member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY); Asian Youth Council (AYC);
Youth for Habitat International Network (YFHIN); CRIN, South Asia Youth
Environment Network (SAYEN), Affiliate group of ECPAT International, Thailand;
ATSECE-DELHI, Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign;
Steering Committee member of World Bank's YDP Network;
Working relation with Indian Association of Parliamentarians (IAPPD);
International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations (IMPO);
Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD);
World Youth Foundation, Malaysia